Kenya’s James Mwangi named Ernst & Young World Entrepreneur Of The Year 2012

James Mwangi, CEO, Equity Bank, Kenya. PHOTO/File

James Mwangi, the CEO of Kenya’s Equity Bank Limited was today named the Ernst & Young World Entrepreneur Of The Year 2012 at an awards ceremony held in Monte Carlo’s Salle des Etoiles.

Mwangi, was picked from among the 59 country finalists vying for the title across 51 countries, each of whom had already been named the Ernst & Young World Entrepreneur Award in their home country.

Equity Bank is the largest bank by customer base in East and Central Africa and the largest African majority owned company in the region. Equity Bank has more than seven million accounts representing over half of all bank accounts in Kenya. It also has operations in Uganda, South Sudan, Rwanda and Tanzania.

Mwangi’s achievement is well deserved. His success into transforming Equity Bank into a publicly listed commercial bank and at the same time transforming the lives and livelihoods of people socially and economically is a remarkable African growth story which has been shared with the world today.

Mwangi’s prestigious global entrepreneur award will inspire other African entrepreneurs to willingly embrace risk and successfully build exceptional enterprises, which ultimately impact on our economies positively.

The ability to mobilize trust and confidence in the business that he created was a key secret to his success. He urges everyone to look to Africa for investment in these tough economic times.